Sasuke unrolled the Scroll of Seals and found Orochimaru's name. Biting his thumb, he pressed it into the column below, signing the contract in his own blood. With the blood pact formed, the summoning agreement was essentially complete.
The jutsu itself wasn't the hard part, not if you had the scroll. The real challenge was obtaining one in the first place. These contracts weren't common, you couldn't just find them lying around. The more ancient the summoning lineage, the more elusive its scroll.
Sasuke moved through the hand seals with practiced speed. 'Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram.'
"Summoning Jutsu!"
He slammed his palm on the ground. A cloud of white smoke erupted, and from within it, a massive figure began to take shape.
"Orochimaru, why have you called me?" a surprisingly androgynous voice echoed from the smoke. It was crisp and clear, a stark contrast to the hoarse rasp of most snakes.
As the smoke cleared, it revealed a dark blue serpent well over ten meters long. Its head was squarish, and its back was covered in a distinct diamond pattern.
Until a summoner formed an official pact, any creature that appeared was random. The jutsu would select a beast with a strong compatibility to the user's chakra, but there was no guarantee it would be obedient. To forge a true partnership, the summoner first had to pass the creature's test and earn its approval.
"Where is Orochimaru?" the snake asked, its large, serpentine eyes scanning the two boys with open curiosity. "Are you his disciples?"
This was a far cry from Orochimaru's usual partner, the ill-tempered Manda, who would demand a hundred human sacrifices for the slightest inconvenience. If Manda had been summoned without Orochimaru present, he would have attacked without hesitation.
Since Orochimaru was the only living contractor for Ryuchi Cave, the snake naturally assumed they were his students.
"No, we're not," Naruto said, shaking his head. He gestured to Sasuke. "But he is the new contractor for Ryuchi Cave."
The blue snake flicked its forked tongue and circled Sasuke, seeming to appraise him.
"Greetings, new contractor. My name is Aoda," He said in a polite tone.
Sasuke's luck had been incredible. Aoda was known as the most mild-mannered of all the snakes in Ryuchi Cave, yet his power was said to rival that of the clan head, Manda.
"Hello, Aoda. I'm Sasuke Uchiha," he replied with a nod, getting straight to the point. "I need you to take me to Ryuchi Cave. You can use the Reverse Summoning Jutsu, correct?"
Aoda inclined his head. It was standard for a new contractor to visit the summoning clan's home to formalize the pact and facilitate future cooperation. "Of course, Sasuke-sama," Aoda said, his use of the honorific confirming that he had accepted Sasuke's status. "But first, I must report to the White Snake Sage. Please wait a moment."
With a soft *poof*, Aoda vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Sasuke," Naruto said quietly, "you know what to do when you get there, right?"
"Yeah," Sasuke confirmed.
"Take this." Naruto handed him a special three-pronged kunai.
Sasuke took the weapon and secured it in the tool pouch at his waist. Just as he did, he felt a strange, twisting force pull at his body. It was the Reverse Summoning Jutsu.
"It's starting," he managed to say, and with another *poof*, he disappeared.
As soon as Sasuke was gone, Naruto closed his eyes, focusing his senses inward to track the faint signature of Sasuke's ki. A moment later, his eyes opened again.
'I feel it,' he thought. 'So that's where it is. They really know how to pick a hiding spot.'
--**--**
Ryuchi Cave was, true to its name, an enormous cavern.
Snakes are cold-blooded, sensitive to temperature, and nocturnal by nature. They prefer darkness, dampness, and seclusion. This cave was the perfect habitat.
The moment Sasuke arrived, a wave of damp cold washed over him. The steady *drip... drip...* of water falling from stalactites echoed around him, and the air was thick with a clinging mist.
'Sharingan.'
Blinded by the sudden shift in light, Sasuke activated his three tomoe Sharingan. Their heightened perception cutting through the gloom. The ground beneath him was slick with moisture, and the cavern was filled with strangely shaped stone formations. From the dark corners, he could hear the faint, continuous sound of hissing and rustling.
"Hello, outsider."
A clear, melodic female voice rang out. Sasuke turned toward the sound and saw a woman dressed in elegant courtly robes. Her dark blue hair was tied in a bun, and she wore a pair of bluish-green, magatama-shaped earrings. Her skin was unnaturally pale.
This was Ichikishimahime, a close confidante of the White Snake Sage, and she held a position of great authority in Ryuchi Cave. Despite her youthful appearance, her true age was comparable to the sages of Mount Myoboku. Compared to her, Manda was but a child.
"Aoda told me about a new contractor," she said, sizing Sasuke up with an interested gaze. When her eyes landed on his Sharingan, a flicker of surprise crossed her face. It clearly wasn't the first time she had seen it. "Which of our snakes do you wish to form a pact with? I would suggest Aoda. He seems to have taken a liking to you, and his strength is among the best we have to offer."
"Aoda is a good choice, but that's not the only reason he's here," another voice answered before Sasuke could speak.
A figure stepped out of the shadows to stand beside him.
"We need to see the White Snake Sage," Naruto said calmly. "We would be grateful if you could arrange an audience."
"Huh?" Ichikishimahime tilted her head, her expression puzzled. "Aoda only mentioned one contractor." She stared at Naruto, a hint of suspicion in her eyes. She hadn't sensed his arrival at all. "Aoda would not lie. So... you must be an intruder."
In an instant, her beautiful face contorted, stretching and shifting into the head of a snake. She flicked her tongue and bared a set of fangs dripping venoms.
"It has been a long time since I've tasted fresh chakra," she hissed.
Legend said that those who failed the trials of Ryuchi Cave were devoured by its sages.
Her body shot into the air and vanished completely, as if she had never been there. It was a unique ability of the snake sages, a form of levitation combined with an invisibility so perfect that it erased her chakra signature entirely. Even the most skilled sensor ninja would be unable to detect her.
The next moment, she reappeared directly behind Naruto, her gaping maw lunging for his neck.
But ki was the ultimate counter to any form of stealth. Unless one could literally cease to exist, the subtle disturbances they made in the air could not escape Naruto's perception.
"You were much easier on the eyes before," Naruto remarked, turning his body just enough to let her attack pass by him. He extended his index finger, curled it slightly, and flicked it against her forehead.
*Thwump!*
The impact sent Ichikishimahime flying like a cannonball. She crashed into a nearby stone wall, smashing a human-shaped hole straight through it. All that remained visible were her two feet, twitching slightly on either side of the hole.
Naruto's voice drifted calmly into the silence. "I'm very sensitive to killing intent. For the White Snake Sage's sake, I'll overlook this once." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle in the damp air.
"But only once. If you show me that kind of malice again, I will consider it a provocation. And I will kill you, even if the Sage is watching."
===============
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